Shattered Mirror
by Vinylshadow
Summary: A newcomer comes to a town ruled by a pony with an iron hoof and manages to spark a change in the cold-hearted ruler. ON HIATUS/UP FOR ADOPTION
1. Chapter 1: Newcomer

A/N: Bear with me, this is my first MLP fanfic, so I apologize for any errors in portraying a pony

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No one knew how it exactly happened. One second, Princess Celestia was the ruler of Equestria, the next, she had been thrown down into the catacombs beneath the Palace, and a new pony stepped in and took over. Her decrees were harsh, the penalties for ignoring or breaking them even worse. One of her first execution was of a young purple Alicorn who had only recently been named as a Princess of Equestria. The Alicorn's head and wings now hung over the gates to the Palace, a grim reminder to any who thought about challenging the new ruler's power. Some ponies spoke of Princess Celestia's younger sister, a blue Alicorn named Luna. They hoped she would be able to restore order, but older ponies knew of the old stories about a mare named Nightmare Moon who had been reformed. Yet she had occasionally shown relapses into her dark side, and some noticed an eerie similarity between Nightmare Moon and the new ruler and came to the startling conclusion that they were one and the same. The sun no longer rose, only the moon dominated the sky, shining brighter during the 'day' and dimly at 'night'. The stars shone at all hours and eventually, the ponies adjusted to the new rule. As long as they went about their business and didn't cause trouble, they more or less returned to the life they had had under the Princess of the Day's rule.

No one paid attention to the hooded pony who entered Canterlot's gates, most were too busy moving from one location to another, chatting with friends and loved ones to pay attention to another newcomer. The hood covered the pony's face, but a white muzzle could be seen, fading to black as it progressed, giving the pony the look of a white nose. The cloak didn't cover the pony's hooves, which were white. The tail was a pale rosy red with white stripes. As the pony approached a vendor, it pulled back its hood to reveal a black head with piercing red eyes and a matching red and white mane. Yet the snout appeared feminine, yet the pony spoke with a clearly masculine voice. As the vendor processed his order, he looked around, his cloak rustling around his sides, as if he had wings and was settling them against him more comfortably. "Travel far, youngster?" The older vendor asked, placing the pony's order on the counter. "From the southern kingdom" The traveler replied, placing the correct amount of bits to pay for the goods. "A word of warning, tread lightly in Canterlot, our ruler isn't very forgiving of lawbreakers." The dark pony nodded. "Thanks for the warning, I'll be careful." He let out a small smile. "Actually, I was hoping to see this ruler." The vendor gaped at him in shock and horror. "You…you'd willingly seek an audience with her?" He managed to croak. The dark pony looked at him strangely and nodded slowly. The vendor shook his head sadly. "Tread carefully" Was all he'd say before he turned his back to the newcomer.

Shaking his head, the pony took his goods and trotted through the streets of Canterlot, taking a moment to admire the onyx and silver architecture. He had a feeling these were a newer addition, since they seemed right at home under the silvery glow of the moon. As he approached the Royal District, he slowed, seeing two dark blue ponies with bat wings folded against their sides. They looked at him as he approached and called out. "Halt, identify yourself and state your business."

The dark pony stood tall and gazed at the guards. "I am Midnight Runner, new to this land, hailing from the southern kingdom. I wish to speak to your ruler." The two guards looked surprised. "You're actually asking for an audience with Queen Nightmare Moon?" He asked, echoing the street vendor's shock. Midnight gazed at him with a hint of exasperation. "You're the second to express such a reaction." He said. The two guards exchanged a glance with each other and shrugged. "As you wish; just keep following the road and you'll reach the Palace." As they opened the gates, Midnight heard one of the guards mutter "Good luck" as he passed. Midnight Runner made his way leisurely along the paved street and was soon standing before the Palace gates, flanked by more guards. "We heard you were coming. The Queen is currently in the middle of something, but you are welcome to wait inside." The guard on the right said as the doors slowly rumbled open. Midnight nodded and slowly entered the dark Palace, idly wondering if he had stepped in over his head.


	2. Chapter 2: Dark Queen

A/N: So yeah, another quick chapter, I'm not really into writing exhaustive descriptions of clothing or armor, so forgive me

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Midnight Runner didn't flinch as the doors boomed shut behind him. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, which wasn't truly needed as silver lights suddenly flared to life, revealing a long corridor. Part of him was surprised to see a few ponies moving around, some cleaning the already gleaming pony busts that lined the walls while others swept the floor. One caught sight of Midnight and came up to him. "Can I help you?" She asked, gazing at him in a surprisingly friendly manner. "I'm here to see your Queen." He replied, causing the mare to arch an eyebrow. "Brave of you...very well, this way." She said briskly, turning and trotting quickly down the hall. Midnight hurried after her, surprised at her swiftness. He caught sight of a feather on her flank, which explained a lot. Midnight cast a glance back at his own flank, thankful for the cloak that covered it. The mare glanced back at him with a small smile, easily navigating the various halls and doors they passed through. "Sorry for the long trek, but we have to take certain precautions to ensure our Queens safety, not that she really needs our help to do so." She said, slowing to a slow canter and falling in beside him. Midnight shook his head. "No need to apologize, it only makes sense, seeing as how I'm the stranger here." The mare blinked in amusement and chuckled.

They soon arrived before yet another pair of massive doors flanked by two guards. Midnight was beginning to sense a pattern here and he shook his head. The mare stopped and bowed. "Good luck with the Queen, shes been rather moody lately, not sure why, might be that time of the month for her or something. She stopped, her cheeks flushing. Oh, didn't mean to let that slip out; good luck sweetie." She called as she turned to go. Midnight glanced at the guards who matched his stare. "The Queen is in the middle of something, but perhaps you could do with a demonstration of how she rules, so you're free to enter." One of the guards said, surprising Midnight since the guard was a mare, as indicated by her voice. She seemed to notice his surprise and continued. "What? Didn't think a mare could be a guard?" She challenged him. "N-not at all, I'm all for pony equality." Midnight said with a small smile. "I doubt you'll feel that way for long, hon." The mare replied as the doors opened. "You're about to get a first-hoof view of how Queen Nightmare Moon operates." She warned before returning to her earlier position.

Midnight glanced at each of the guards before slowly entering the black portal. The view he saw surprised him once again. More ponies were all lined up against the walls, watching what appeared to be a court proceeding. A high cold voice cut through the air, making Midnight flinch. "So! Thought you could get away with raping fillies, did you? The voice was directed at a shaking stallion in the center of the room. Thought their parents wouldn't notice, or tell me?" The voice continued, a hard murderous edge under the words. "Your kind disgusts me."

The stallion was suddenly enveloped in a midnight blue aura and what happened next surprised Midnight Runner, yet the other ponies didn't seem all that affected by it. The stallion suddenly screamed as his body slowly started to be torn apart. A shiver coursed over Midnight as he watched silently. The magic seeped into the cuts and lacerations, seeming to scorch the underlying muscles and tissue. Suddenly the stallion exploded into a cloud of gore and Midnight took a step back as what appeared to be the pony's forehoof fell in front of him. "And what have we here?" Purred the dark voice, coming alive with curiosity. "A newcomer? Come closer, so that we may see you."

Midnight took a step forward, gazing up at the balcony that ringed the area. A tall black Alicorn mare stood in view, clad in silver and blue ceremonial armor. She gazed down at him, her eyes alive with interest. "Well now, haven't seen you before." She tilted her head. "From what my guards have told me, you're Midnight Runner, from the southern kingdom?" At his nod of confirmation, she clapped her hooves together happily. "Ah, yes, I heard that there was an uprising there a few moonfalls ago, I take it you're a refugee?" Her voice was surprisingly kind, considering what she had recently done. Midnight warily stepped around the puddle of blood and gore that used to be a pony. "Why don't you remove your cloak? Surely there's no reason to be shy?" The dark Queen purred, suddenly teleporting from the balcony and appearing in front of the startled black stallion. "I wonder if you're as cute as you seem." She said softly. Midnight shifted uncomfortably, then removed his cloak, draping it over his flanks.

However, swift as the movement was, Nightmare Moon reached out and stopped the cloak from covering his flank. "What is this?" She asked. Midnight looked at her, unnerved by her proximity. The other ponies in the room started murmuring amongst themselves. The loudest whispers cut right through Midnight. "No cutie mark?"

No cutie mark? The Queen echoed, puzzlement in her voice. "How can this be, and at your age?" Midnight Runner flicked his wings uncomfortably. "I'm not really sure why." He admitted, taking a step away from the Queen, who regarded him curiously. "I don't really care, one way or another." He said with a shrug and flick of his tail. A smile rolled over Nightmare Moon's face. "I see, would you care to take a walk with me?" She asked, making him blink at the abrupt change in topic. "Um...ah..." Midnight Runner stammered. "What about these other ponies?" He asked, extending his wing to point at the ponies lined against the walls. Nightmare Moon seemed to notice them for the first time. "What are you still doing here? Theres nothing more I will be doing today, so youre all dismissed." She snapped at them, causing them to jump and beat a hasty retreat through the doors.

"Now, where were we?" Nightmare Moon asked, turning back to Midnight. "Ah yes, a walk." She said, extending a wing to him. Midnight Runner looked at her, then her wing then stepped forward and they began their walk.


	3. Chapter 3: A Walk

A/N: Three chapters already, doubt this'll keep up though, enjoy

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Nightmare Moon seemed almost giddy as she walked beside Midnight Runner, chatting about her reign over Equestria and plans for newer decrees. "Seems even with the laws in place, bad ponies try to take advantage of kind ponies and exploit them for their own gain." She said, looking thoughtfully at the walls and ceiling. "Even with the harsh punishments I have in place, they think they can get away with that sort of behavior." She added with a frown. "What do you think?" She asked. Midnight Runner glanced at her and when he spoke, his voice was slow and thoughtful. "If they won't listen to laws, would making some sort of enforcement force be able to keep the ponies in line?" Nightmare rubbed a silver-shod hoof against her chin thoughtfully. "It's true I can't keep an eye on all of my subjects…" She murmured thoughtfully. "But how could I trust them to do their jobs correctly?" She asked. "Give them rewards for keeping the peace, maybe?" He offered. Nightmare flared her nostrils. "What kind of reward though? I'm not sleeping with every guard I'd have to hire for the work." The blunt words caught Midnight Runner by surprise and his cheeks flared red. "I…you wouldn't have to do something like that." He said, rather surprised at her blunt approach. "Then what?" She asked, facing him fully, towering over him. "You're an outsider; you've seen how other ponies live, right? How do they keep the peace?" Midnight blinked and took a step back from her. She could be rather intimidating when she wanted to. "Well, obviously you'd have ranks within the enforcement. Good behavior could lead to higher rank, or more privileges." Midnight said. "But, to be honest, you wouldn't be in charge of that." He added quickly as a black look passed over her face, as if she couldn't stand not being in control. "The chief, of course, would report to you on the behavior of their officers, and if they don't please you, you could remove them." At the suggestion, Nightmare Moon seemed to brighten. "You mean execute them?" She asked, her voice cheerful. Midnight shook his head slowly. "Only….only as a last resort, or if they commit a bad enough crime, like…violating a young pony." He said softly. Nightmare pricked her ears at his tone and she gazed at him curiously.

"Do you have some experience with that sort of thing?" She asked, her voice getting hard. "Have you violated a pony against her wishes?" She snarled. Midnight Runner looked at her in shock. "What? No! Never! I would never do such a thing." He said. "Never…" He said quietly, his head down and his wings quivering. Nightmare Moon looked at him curiously. "Well, we'll drop that for now, since it upsets you." She said dismissively, but Midnight had a feeling she'd bring it up later. "Let's talk about your cutie mark, or lack thereof, in this case." She said, eying his flank in a way that made Midnight think she wanted to take a bite out of it. "I haven't seem to have found anything I'm good at." He said shortly, avoiding her eyes. She frowned. "Haven't found, or is it in your blood that you'll never get a cutie mark, no matter what you do?" She asked, taking a stab in the dark. The way he flinched made her think she had hit the mark. "It's true, that no pony in my family has ever had a cutie mark." He admitted, much to her surprise. "But…what about mating? Wouldn't the offspring have the chance of having a cutie mark from the parents' genes?" She asked, somewhat confused. "No, it doesn't matter who the parent is, the offspring will never have a cutie mark" Nightmare Moon looked thoughtful. "That might explain why those three…" She murmured, her voice trailing off and shook her head. "Whatever. But what about you? Are you simply a mere Pegasus?" She asked, starting to walk once again. Midnight followed her, troubled by her question. "I don't know what else I could be." He said, shuffling his wings. A small smile hovered over Nightmare Moon's face. "I see, so I won't have to worry about you starting some sort of revolution to dethrone me?" Midnight shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of it, to me, the ponies seem comfortable enough under your rule, and since I don't really know what happened here, nor do I care, you're welcome to do whatever you want with your kingdom." He hesitated. "But…maybe stop killing ponies for their transgressions?" He said, treading carefully. "A few weeks or months in a dark cell with little food will do wonders to how a pony behaves." He said, well aware Nightmare Moon was regarding him as if he had grown a second head with wings instead of ears. "And repeat offenders?" She asked. "Some ponies refuse to change." Midnight looked into her eyes. "Then you can do whatever you like with them." He replied simply. Nightmare Moon blinked warmly. "I knew you were special." She said, draping a wing over him as they walked. Midnight fidgeted nervously at the touch, unsure of the meaning behind the gesture. "Oh, relax, I'm not going to jump your bones, we've only just met, and that would be rude on my part." She said, noticing his discomfort. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't fuck every pony I lay my eyes on…even when they're rather attractive." She added with a teasing glint in her eye.

Midnight glanced out the window and noticed the gruesome sight of the decapitated purple Alicorn head. "So, what's the story with that?" He asked. Nightmare Moon glanced outside. "Oh, she was nothing more than an upstart who tried to challenge me for my crown. I only spared her friends since they were still of use to me. One makes amazing apple dishes while another is a very good seamstress." Nightmare Moon sighed wistfully. "Shame my sister squandered their talents." Midnight glanced at her curiously. "Sister?"

Nightmare Moon's eyes blazed with hatred. "Oh, yes, my 'dear sister' who locked me away for a millennia because she was scared of me, my power. She was weak, she barely had any control over her subjects, dangerous creatures were breeding and becoming a threat, but she did nothing." She shook her head. "So I set out to fix that little problem. First, I drove the creatures that were a real threat from this land, and then sealed them out forever." Midnight looked rather surprised. "That would take an awful lot of magic." He said, intrigued. She noticed his interest and smiled. "It's rather simple, the barrier doesn't draw power from any normal source. Instead, it uses the power of the person going against it, so the harder they try to get through, the stronger the field is. I thought about using the moon as an anchor point for its power, but didn't want to take away from its beauty." She looked outside and basked in the silvery glow with a sift sign. Midnight watched her silently, watching the way she seemed to drink in the moonlight. She caught him staring and winked at him. He flushed and turned away. "So, do you have anything else you want to know?" He asked. Nightmare came up beside him. "Where do you plan on spending the night?" She asked. Midnight noticed the invitation in her voice. "I think I'll spend the night in an inn, actually, if that's alright with you?" He said. Nightmare Moon nodded slowly. "Alright…will I see you again?" She asked. "If you have any questions for me, you're more than welcome to seek me out." He said with a smile. Nightmare Moon nodded. "Alright then, it's a deal." She looked outside. "I could make it a lot easier for you to come and go from here, if you'd like." She said, flaring her wings and a glow enveloped Midnight. Unlike what happened to the other stallion, this glow felt oddly warm, almost like an embrace. "This is basically a two-way communication spell, and, if needed, will allow to you teleport directly to the throne room instead of having to take that long trek through the Palace again." She said. Midnight blinked in surprise. He was curious as to why she placed enough faith in him to give him that sort of freedom. As if reading his mind, she smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I know you're no threat to me, and I could kill you as easily as breathing. Instead, I think I'll take a chance to get to know you better." She gave his cheek a light kiss. "Good night, Midnight Runner." She said quietly before wrapping herself in shadow and vanishing. Midnight blinked as he found himself alone. Focusing his thoughts, be could feel the magic of the spell she had woven into him and wasn't surprised when he found himself at the palace gates with merely a thought. "Well…that went better than expected." He said aloud, causing the guards to glance at him. "So you're alive." One said. Midnight noted a sense of relief in his voice and he turned to look at the stallion. "Somehow, yeah." He replied cheerfully. "She's not that bad once you get past the love of killing." He bowed to the guards. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find a place to stay." The guard's mouth dropped open in horror. "You…turned down a night with the Queen?" He said, his voice a squeak. He looked her his shoulder, as if he fully expected to see his Queen behind him. "We only just met" Midnight said. "Why rush things?" He added.

As he made his way in search of an inn, the two guards watched him go. "He's either insane, confident or extremely lucky." The guard said, while his counterpart nodded in agreement. "I have a feeling Canterlot is about to be turned on its side…" He sighed heavily and straightened out his posture. "Nothing to do but wait and see what happens."


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams

Midnight Runner managed to find a decent inn at an affordable price in Canterlot's middle class district and as he settled in for the night looked back over his day. One day in Canterlot and already he had seen more than any pony ever wanted to see. He shuddered as images of the stallion surfaced in his mind. One second, completely whole, the next, nothing more than a pile of blood and bone. He shook his head to dispel the images, climbed into the bed, and was soon fast asleep.

He stood amongst ruins. No, not ruins, rubble, the remains of what used to be a town, a village of ponies, all nestled within the safe boundaries of the southern kingdom. Yet it was no longer safe; corruption had taken hold and put down its roots in the nobles, who thought the common pony wasn't worthy of being part of the kingdom. Feuds started and then all-out civil war. Towns were razed, burned to the ground, cities were pillaged, ponies died by the hundreds. The king and queen were thrown down and executed by the very subjects they protected. And through it all, one lone Pegasus watched the slaughter and didn't raise a hoof to stop it. He could've stopped everything, saved everything, restored everything. Yet he didn't. He wanted this to happen, he wanted to see the ponies that had taken his sister from him suffer. He wanted them to feel the same terror she had felt when she had been torn from her family and cast out. Away from him, away from the only pony who loved her for her, the only one that could make her smile and giggle. He saw her now, nothing more than a shadow. She haunted his dreams, her laughter torturing him, causing his heart to ache. Midnight Runner threw back his head and let out a primal scream, one full of heartbreak and loss, a sound that would have chilled the blood of any creature who had heard it. A sound that showed that the creator had nothing left to lose, would fight to the last breath for what he wanted, what he loved.

Midnight Runner walked through his memories, his nightmares with his sister by his side. He knew her so well it was as if she was still here with him. "Why do you still dream of this, brother?" She asked softly, gazing at him with those azure orbs she had gotten from their mother. "Because, even though I've let it go, released my emotions, my ties with this place, it's still a part of who and what I am." He said softly. He gazed out over the raped landscape. She gazed at him with a mix of love and exasperation, and he smiled at her. "I'm sorry, my sister, my little Starlight." He murmured, wrapping his wings around her and she settled against him with a sigh of contentment.

"So this is what happened." A voice said, laced with sadness. Midnight's eyes snapped open and he looked around. His sister was gone, his dreams were gone, and nothing but emptiness surrounded him. Him and one other. He gazed at the Princess of the Night who seemed t float across from him. Her slitted eyes pierced him and he looked away. "Yeah." He said bitterly. "Everything was my own fault. I could have saved this kingdom, I could have saved her…but I didn't, I couldn't." He gazed down at his hooves. "But…you said you wanted them to feel the same pain she felt when she was taken from you. How could you have saved her?" Nightmare Moon asked. Midnight went still and a dark cloud passed over his features. "I could have walked away; I could have left this place." Nightmare cut across him. "But it wasn't you who started the conflict; it wasn't you who made the highborn detest the lowborn." She looked at him. "So, what do you mean?" She asked gently. "My parents were both lowborn, as was I, yet we adopted a little filly who had gotten lost, separated from her parents. We put out notices, we tried to find her parents, but nothing came up. Eventually, we tried to take custody of her, yet the highborn court refused to give her to us. They were too hard-set in their ways." Midnight said quietly, his red eyes darkened by fury. "So I did the only thing I could think of. I took my sister from that place, that hellhole they placed her in." His voice became black. "Do you know what they did to her? To my little Starlight?" He growled. Nightmare Moon actually took an involuntary step back. She had never felt such emotion pour off of a pony. She was amazed he had carried this much anger and remained sane. "They indoctrinated her. They corrupted her. They broke her." His voice was low, defeated. Nightmare Moon gazed at him, her expression blank as she digested his news. "I killed every single adult pony if that building." He said. Nightmare's eyes widened at the revelation. "I burned that building to the ground and I walked away." Midnight's voice actually frightened Nightmare Moon. He spoke calmly, as if he hadn't murdered an entire kingdom. He gazed at her, his eyes once again bright. "So, that's what happened. Do you hate me? Do you want to kill me?" He asked her. She was again unnerved by the lack of inflection in his voice. She walked up to him and gazed down at him. He matched her stare and they simply stood still for what seemed ages. "No…" Nightmare Moon said at last. "No, I don't want to kill you. I have something far better in mind." She gazed at him fondly. "How would you like to rule by my side?"


	5. Chapter 5: Clipped

Midnight Runner woke up with Nightmare Moon's last words echoing in his head. _"How would you like to rule by my side?"_ He shook his head in bewilderment and crawled out of bed. As he went through his morning routine, he thought back over the dream, wondering if he had done the right thing in revealing his past. He had no regrets for his actions. To him, they seemed justified. He looked at himself in the mirror and gazed at his reflection silently. Midnight twitched his ears as he heard a noise in the main room. He left the bathroom to see the last flicker of a blue flame and a roll of parchment lying on the bed. It was sealed with a wax seal in the shape of a quarter moon. He broke the seal and scanned the parchment.

_Dearest Midnight Runner_

_ Have you thought about my offer? I'll be waiting for your answer tonight. Come to the palace and we can talk about it._

_With warmest regard, N.M._

Midnight read the letter and sat on the bed. She had been serious. He shook his head in disbelief. He didn't have the faintest idea how to even begin running a kingdom, and didn't he prove that he had no problem with destroying a kingdom? He sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling a painful headache coming. With a groan, he flopped on the bed.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, but eventually his stomach told him it needed to be filled. Midnight got up and shook himself, stretching his wings. He needed to go for a flight, it had been far too long before he had a proper relaxed flight where he could enjoy himself. He went to the front desk and checked out, then trotted out into the eternal night.

He gazed up at the moon shining overhead as he stretched his wings, giving a few practice flaps before he jumped skyward. Midnight closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh as he slowly flew in lazy loops through the night sky. He circled the palace towers a few times, idly glancing in the windows as he flew by, wondering if he'd spot Nightmare Moon in her chambers or grand hall. He hovered in front of a set of windows where a group of mares were talking together. When one spotted him hovering outside, she apparently let out a scream that got the attention of the other mares and he ducked out of sight with a grin. He landed lightly on the roof, balanced on the sloped tiles with ease, before taking a short running leap, and dived off the roof. He couldn't have been more than a foot off the ground when he snapped his wings open and used his momentum to hurtle skyward once again. Once his wings began to tire, he landed back in the street and flapped his wings slowly to prevent them from cramping from the extended use. He settled them back against his sides then trotted briskly down the street and browsed the various wares that were being sold. A pair of crescent moon earrings caught his attention and he toyed with the idea of getting them for Nightmare Moon. After seeing the price, however, he decided against it. "Ah, thinking of a special somepony?" The shopkeeper said, seeing him hesitate over the items. "Er…I guess you could say that." Midnight said. "You're that fella that's getting cozy with the queen, right?" The vendor asked, startling Midnight. "Cozy…? I think it's about as far from 'cozy' as you can get." He said with a shaky laugh. The tan-colored pony eyed him with some amusement. "Tell you what, for you, half-off, just because you're the first who's managed to talk to her and not end up dead in a long time." His eyes flicked in the direction of the royal district gates and their grisly reminder and Midnight grimaced. "Alright." He said, paying the required bits and taking the earrings. "Thank you, I'll be sure to spread word about your wares." He left the shopping district as the bell toned out noon, or was it the first midnight? Midnight Runner shook his head and wondered what he could do to pass the time. Nopony was around, the streets were deserted and Midnight finally just walked up to the Royal District, where the guards welcomed him and let him in. He wandered around the district, making his way to the palace, wondering if Nightmare Moon was holding another 'court'. He smiled grimly to himself as he approached the last pair of doors that separated him from the Queen and entered the great hall. Once again, it was packed with ponies, and apparently Nightmare Moon was dishing out another punishment.

"I didn't ask for rain today." Her voice was deadly calm and Midnight sighed silently as he snaked his way through the ponies. His suspicions were confirmed that she was targeting a Pegasus pony, who were in charge or Equestria's weather patterns. "Couldn't you have scheduled the rain for a day when I WASN'T trying to enjoy my beautiful evening?" She continued. Midnight finally reached the front of the crowd and saw that this time it was a light blue Pegasus on 'trial'. What made her stand out was her mane and tail, which was wildly colored in the colors of the rainbow. "Usually, I'd happily tear off your wings and forever ground you, but…" Nightmare Moon caught sight of Midnight Runner and paused. "Ah…perfect timing, could you come up here for a moment?" She called to him. With a resigned sigh, Midnight joined her, flying up to her balcony, feeling slightly guilty for the fact he could fly while the rainbow mare was soon to be grounded permanently. He looked over his shoulder and mouthed "I'm sorry." To the mare, who nodded grimly, her magenta eyes steeled. She knew the consequence and she wasn't afraid of it.

"Welcome back, Midnight Runner." Nightmare Moon purred, nodding slightly to him. He returned her greeting, though not as warmly. She looked a little hurt at his tone but turned back to the business at hand. "I think I'll let my prince consort decree your punishment." She said, causing the ponies below to erupt in hushed conversation. Midnight steeled himself, closing his eyes as he ran through a list of what he could do. He knew sparing the mare was out of the question, which pained him. Yet he knew there was a way to let the mare keep her wings. Turning to Nightmare Moon, he murmured quietly to her. "Have you considered making her the captain of one of your enforcement squads? She's a strong mare, she'd have no trouble keeping them in line, plus, she'd report to you, and if you want nicer weather, you could easily reach her without having to bother yourself too much." Nightmare Moon looked at him in surprise. "You seek to give a reward to one who made my day miserable?" She asked, incredulous. "I never said she had to be able to fly to perform her duties. She'd have to adjust giving orders to the other pegasi to create ideal weather." Nightmare Moon looked at him for a moment. "I see…so, what should we do about her wings?" Midnight made his way to the edge of the balcony and gazed down at the mare. "Clip her wings." He called. "Let her keep them as a reminder of the cost of displeasing the Queen." Nightmare Moon came up beside him. "Would you like to do the honors?" She asked, grasping the pegasi in her magic and pulling her up to them. "I'd be glad to….in fact…" He murmured something in her ear and she grinned. "Oh, wicked…"

Midnight Runner stepped off the balcony as Nightmare Moon positioned the pegasi over the center of the room. Midnight gazed at the mare, who looked at him and simply nodded. "Just get it over with." She said quietly. Midnight slowly moved about her, pulling out her flight feathers, rendering her incapable of ever flying again. When the last blue feather drifted to the ground, Nightmare let go of her magic. The rainbow mare's eyes widened in surprise as she was momentarily weightless. She instinctively flapped her wings, but fell like a stone. She hit the ground hard and lay there, stunned from the impact. "You are to report to the chief of the enforcement squads, he'll determine where to put you." Nightmare Moon's voice cut through the still air and the ponies all flinched at her dismissive attitude. "That will be all." She turned and left the hall. Midnight Runner cast a last look at the flightless mare then turned and followed his Queen.


	6. Chapter 6: A Night with the Queen

Midnight Runner wasn't really sure what to expect when he followed his…Queen? Consort? Co-Ruler? He hoped she would at least sit down and talk about what his new duties entailed if he was to truly rule by her side. Yet a small part of him had a feeling he'd be more of a figurehead than an actual influence in any political affairs, and for that, he didn't mind in the slightest.

The sight that greeted him when he entered the Queen's chambers probably would have caused any other stallion to gape and drool. Nightmare Moon stood without her armor on, her back to him as she stared at herself in the mirror, several brushes and hair care products floating around her. A small part of Midnight's barely functional mind wondered why she needed brushes when her mane and tail were clearly magical, but suddenly the glow faded from the hair and he was surprised to find it was a deep muted blue, with several other blue hues striping through it. She caught sight of him in her mirror and turned. "Ah, so glad you're here, I need your help with something." She said briskly. Midnight trotted over to her and she pointed a hoof at his braided mane. "Can you teach me how to do that?" She asked. Midnight looked at her in surprise, and then noted a lack of any maremaids. "Sure." He said after a moment. Nightmare Moon sat in front of the mirror and Midnight got behind her, admiring her mane as he started to brush and straighten it. A low noise from Nightmare Moon startled him and he paused in his care. The low moan had unnerved the Pegasus and Nightmare Moon opened an eye to look at him. "Why did you stop? That felt so good." She whined. Shaking himself, Midnight dived into the task of subduing Nightmare's mane and her contented sighs as he brushed, stroked and braided her hair did little to ease Midnight's discomfort. "Why don't you have maremaids to help with this sort of thing?" he asked, curious as to her lack of personal servants. "I thought Queens were waited on hoof and horn." Nightmare looked rather sheepish and looked down. "Well, most of the maremaids that worked in the palace were loyal to my sister and I dismissed them, except for a few who adamantly refuse to leave, saying they needed to care for the castle."

Midnight tilted his head. "Sister?" He asked curiously, putting the last touches on Nightmare Moon's braid. "Surely you've heard that Princess Celestia was dethroned, right?" She asked him, her eyes boring into his through the mirror. "Yeah, but since I wasn't a part of Canterlot, I didn't really care, so long as ponies weren't out to kill me." He replied, causing Nightmare to snort in amusement. "There was some protests , certainly, but that's not the point." She said, standing tall and turning around, causing him to backhoof away from her. "She was my sister, Princess Celestia, the Princess of the Day." Midnight looked at her, his eyebrows high. "And you are…?" She smiled at him. "The little sister, Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night" Midnight paused for a moment. "But your subjects call you 'Nightmare Moon', why?" Nightmare Moon/Luna sighed as she made her way around him, her tail brushing lightly against his flank as she passed. "Because that's what this form is called. It's the darkness within Luna's heart, given form." Midnight couldn't contain his curiosity. "Darkness given form?" He asked, following her but stopped short as she climbed onto the bed and settled down comfortably, if in a slightly inviting position. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Coming to bed, darling?" She purred. "You didn't answer my question." Midnight pointed out. Nightmare Moon sighed in exasperation. I swear, are you into stallions or something? You're the first stallion that hasn't immediately pounced on me and ravished me." She said with a cute pout. "Because I rather enjoy having my stallionhood attached to my body, and I feel like we wouldn't be the perfect match." Nightmare Moon looked at him in amusement. "You consider yourself a gentlecolt then?" She said with a teasing note in her voice as she stretched. Midnight ignored the jab at his relative youth and shook his head. "Now, if you plan on having me rule beside you, what would my responsibilities be?" He asked, finally climbing onto the bed and settling beside Nightmare, who curled around him. "I think I'll let you decide on punishments for law-breakers, if the crime is offensive enough to warrant it." She said after a moment. "Oh? Does that mean you're not going to kill every pony that breaks the law now?" Midnight asked, tilting his head. Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'll try my hardest." She said softly, gazing at him with a curious expression. He didn't miss it and matched her stare for stare. "What, you're hoping for a kiss?" He asked teasingly, causing her to snort in amusement. "You wish, honey." She said, poking his flank. "Now, I know you're still hard-wired to sleep at regular hours, so go to bed, I'll send somepony to get you if I need you for anything." She said, ruffling her wings. "And here I was hoping to spend the night." He said dryly. "Oh? You mean you'd switch your sleep patterns to sleep with me?" She asked, pricking her ears. "As strange as that sounds….yes, I would." He replied. "Plus, I'd be at your side more often, which will let me see how this kingdom operates." He looked at her and grinned. "That's what a prince does, is it not?" He asked. She poked his forehead with her hoof. "Be gone with thee for the night." She replied with a hint of humor. "Yes milady, you know where to find me if you need me." He said, taking note of her lapse in speech for later. She nodded at him and he left her chambers.


	7. Chapter 7: Out about Town

A/N: This chapter contains mature sexual content; you have been warned

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Something smelled amazing. I sniffed lightly, noting that whatever had piqued my interest was nearby. I shifted my head, trying to get closer to it. The scent was intoxicating. I moved my hoof, feeling it rub over something and I felt that whatever my hoof was holding was hiding the prize from me. I lifted my hoof and pushed against the obstacle lightly and it moved without much resistance. The smell was sharper now and I could tell from the scent that whatever it was, was wet. I leaned in and extended my tongue, to fell it rub against something very soft, which opened at my touch and I dived deeper in, enjoying the taste of whatever it was I was eating, or licking. A low sultry moan made me freeze and I finally opened my eyes.

The wet marehood glistened in the morning sunlight steaming in through the windows, and I crossed my eyes as I gazed down my muzzle to see my tongue firmly embedded in said marehood. I slowly pulled my head back and more came into focus. That shade of blue and black was disturbingly familiar. "Oh….buck me with a thousand suns." I moaned in terror, realizing that I had just eaten out the mare of the night's sex. Suddenly I was gripped in a web of magic and forcefully torn from the bed. I slammed painfully against the wall of and gasped as the air was knocked from me. **"Give me one good reason I shouldn't **_**tear**_** your wings off and **_**rape**_** you with them." **The voice made my blood freeze in my veins and I only managed to not wet myself. Looking up, I saw a terrifying sight. Nightmare Moon was standing on the bed, her eyes ablaze with magic as she held me against the wall. I could feel my wings being extended and pulled painfully. Part of me knew if I bucked this up, I was going to die a very gruesome and painful death.

"It was an accident." I managed to say, my voice a mere squeak and cringed inwardly at that and continued hastily. "I swear, I had no idea why I…" I felt my ears and face burn and I looked at anywhere but her. "I'm sorry." Was all I could think of to say and I closed my eyes, awaiting my execution.

The silence was deafening and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Finally, the mare spoke, but there wasn't any anger or malice behind them. "I understand…my actions are also partly to blame for your behavior, and for that, I apologize." I stared at her in disbelief. "But I was the one who was in the wrong, I didn't mean to do what I did." I was babbling now, trying to get my thoughts in order.

She dropped my from her magical grasp and I fell to the floor with a thud. My head swam with stars and I shook my head to clear them. I was enveloped once again in the magical aura after a moment and I was pulled so I was nose-to-nose with Nightmare Moon. "Next time you try to do something like that…ask first." I could only stare at her in stunned silence. "I know stallions have…needs that some mares do not, and I might be willing to help you with that." Her hoof slipped between my legs and I let out a gasp as she brushed it against my stallionhood, which, much to my embarrassment, was standing at attention.

"Oh, what a beautiful shade of red you're turning." She purred, lightly kissing my chest as she continued to stroke me. "N-Nightma-" I stammered, but her voice cut across mine. "Call me Luna, at least when we're alone." She cooed, nibbling on my neck as she pressed against me, still working me closer to my own release. I panted as she touched me, squirming in her magical grasp as wonderful feelings flowed through my body from her touch. Suddenly, she withdrew her hoof and simply looked at me. Her eyes held an amused, yet hard glint to them. "And that's all you're getting." She purred. "P-please…finish…" I panted. "No, you touched me without my permission, so I returned the favor." I stared at her, slightly thankful as I calmed down. "Besides…" She added. "You didn't make me climax, so why should I make you?" I stared at her open-mouthed and she laughed. "Oh, you look so adorable like that." She giggled.

"You need to get out among the town-ponies, get to know them, perhaps make some friends and be more social." Luna said cheerfully. I nodded and shook my head to clear it of distractions. "Besides, maybe you'll find some mare to talk to. Goddess knows you need some interaction with the other sex." She remarked. I blinked and nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds about right." I replied. "Well, the day is young, and, I think you'll need these." She said as she levitated a bag up from the side of the bed. From the way it jingled, I knew it held bits. "I..I couldn't, I have my own…" I tried to say and she looked at me, making the words die on my lips. "Do you have a job?" She asked "Do you have any investments where you can earn bits?" I sighed heavily and took the bag, and almost collapsed under its weight. "Sweet moon, how many do you think I'll need?!" I said with a gasp ,picking myself off of the floor and eyeing the heavy sack. "Well, if you intend to take a marefriend out to eat, I suspect you'll need enough money to take her someplace nice." Luna remarked as she climbed out of bed and stretched, giving him a generous eyeful of flank and rump. "Besides…" She said, giving her rump a wiggle, knowing full-well I was staring. "You're royalty now, so it's only logical you have a lot of bits." She pointed out as she brushed her mane. "Could you help me again?" She asked. I got up and trotted over to her, taking the brush in my teeth and tidied up her mane. It flared to magical life and seemed even more ethereal than before. "Ahhh, that feels much better." She said happily.

Luna eyed me closely. "You know what I think you need? You…need to get some clothes" I looked at her curiously. "But…we don't normally wear clothes." I said, slightly confused. "Maybe not every day, no; but what about special events, like the Grand Galloping Gala or some other fancy party?" She arched one beautiful eyebrow at me and I squirmed under her gaze. "Fair enough." I grumbled. "Splendid, I have just the place for you to go to as well." She said, pulling a map of Canterlot seeming out of thin air. "One of our darling unicorns moved and set up shop here, I'm sure she'll simply adore you." She said, eyeing the map. "Now…ah, here." She said, pointing with a hoof. "You'll find her shop here." She added with a grin. "You won't miss it, I'm sure" I looked at the map closely and let my eyes wander through the indicated paths, tracing a route from the palace to the shop's location. "Alright, I think I've got it memorized." I said. Luna rolled up the map and stuck it in a set of saddlebags that again, she seemingly pulled from thin air. "Just in case you forget" She replied at my tilted head. She also hoisted the bag of bits and it shrank before my eyes and fit snugly in the pouch. "There." She said. "Don't worry, when they leave the bag, the bits will return to full size." She said as she laid the saddles out and watched me put them on. I could feel her eyes bore into my backside and I turned red again. As I trotted for the door, she called out to me. "You're adorable when you blush, you know that, right?" There was a teasing in her voice that made me turn all the redder and I smiled over my shoulder at her. "See you later, Princess Luna" I called before leaving.

As I made my way through the streets, I let my eyes wander over the various other shops that lined the road. Plenty of places offering food, some more exotic than others while others were literally stall that proclaimed 'free hay'. I shook my head at the variety and traced over the route in my head. I was proud to say I had yet to pull out the map to check. As I turned what would have been the last corner, I collided hard with somepony who had also decided to turn the corner at the same time. We fell together in a tangle of manes and limbs and I heard the sound of bags dropping. "Oh! Oh, dear, sorry, so clumsy of me, I wasn't looking where I was going and…" said a voice as I felt whomever had tried to run me over scramble off mf me to gather her things. I noted from her voice she was a mare and I blinked to let the world stop spinning. "I swear, I feel like have a magnet that attracts ponies to me to run me over." I groused good-naturedly. I got a good look at her and blinked in surprise. She had a well-groomed mane of a deep purple that framed a face that was a light shade of pink, as was the rest of her. I looked at her curiously and noted her legs, at the knees, faded to lavender as they reached her hooves.

She looked lovely in my eyes. She looked at me as she helped me to my hooves and I noticed she had a horn. "Well, as an apology, can I buy you lunch, later? I was hoping to go clothes shopping first." She tilted her head and looked at me. "Shopping for clothes? Seems a rather strange choice for a Pegasus, especially a stallion." I once again felt my cheeks flare. I was way too easily embarrassed and I ducked my head, shuffling a hoof nervously. "A…friend…thought it might be a good idea for me to get out and see the sights and get some things." I said. The pretty pink mare smiled at me. "Well, until lunch, why don't I help you? Think of myself as your tour guide, since you're not from around here, are you?" She asked, her eyes running over my coat. I could easily sense her curiosity and I smiled. "Sounds fair, and no, I'm from the south." Her eyes widened in surprise and a hint of sadness. "Oh, from that kingdom that…" I nodded curtly and she fell silent, as if she knew I wasn't going to, or ready to talk about what I had been through.

"Well, if you're looking for clothes…" She began, then facehoofed. "Stupid me…I have yet to introduce myself, don't I?" She extended a hoof. "Mana Lai Ayerus at your service" I stared at her as that strange name rolled off her tongue and I shook her hoof. "With a name like that, you're also clearly not from here." I remarked and she grinned. "I'm from the western parts of Equestria." She admitted. "And since I doubt you'll pronounce my name correctly, you can simply call me 'Mana', alright?" She said as she hoisted her bags onto her flanks. "Mana it is, then. I'm Midnight Runner." She pricked her ears and her eyes went as round as dinner plates. "Nightmare Moon's…ah…" She hesitated, clearly holding back an inappropriate term, her cheeks coloring slightly. I tilted my head and sighed heavily. "Now what are they saying about me?" She shuffled her hooves. "They're saying you clipped a Pegasus's wings." She said quietly and I froze. "They're calling you a butcher for that." She said looking up at me. My jaw dropped. "That was the only way I could think of saving her without getting her killed; L-Nightmare Moon would have ripped her wings off and…" I shut my mouth as Luna's threat to me echoed in my head. _Give me one good reason I shouldn't tear your wings off and rape you with them._

I shook my head. "Can we leave politics and titles out of this? Out here, I'm just another pony." I said with a tired sigh. Mana nodded. "If it's clothes you want, there's no place better than Carousel Boutique, I just came from there, actually." She said, indicating her bags. "I don't see why I can't join you when you pick out something." She said. I followed her, finally stepping around the corner and getting one of the most bizarre sights seared into my mind. 'Carousel Boutique' was indeed a fitting name for the structure nestled among the buildings, closely resembling its namesake, only a lot more gaudy and bright, which was saying something. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as we approached it and I followed Mana in as the bell over the door rang, signaling our arrival.


	8. Chapter 8: Getting clothed

A/N: I wrote this chapter right after the previous, but decided to make it a separate chapter...it's just how I role, I guess

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"I'll be with you in a moment!" called a mare's voice no sooner than the door had closed behind Mana and I. I stared around the interior, somewhat intimidated by the sheer amount of pony mannequins sporting some of the most interesting dress and clothing designs I had ever seen. They ranged from simple things like vests and shirts to intricate gown dresses. I focused my gaze as I heard the clip-clop of hooves on the floor and soon a white unicorn with an elaborately curled purple mane and tail trotted into view. Her cutie mark was three simple blue gems and she had a set of red spectacles perched on her nose. She eyed me closely and then her gaze swept over Mana. "Oh? Back again? Something wrong?" There was something off in her voice, as if the thought of an imperfect design. "No, no, the clothing is fine, really, don't worry." Mana said quickly, causing the white Unicorn to brighten again. "I met this pony outside who said he needed clothes, so this was the first place I thought of." She replied. The unicorn looked surprised. "He? But…" Her eyes swept over me and I wasn't really sure how to feel with the gaze. I had the uneasy feeling she was measuring me for an outfit already. She seemed very disappointed that I wasn't a mare, but she assured me she had plenty of practice and designs.

Her eyes once again roamed over me, this time over my mane and tail, seeming intrigued by the braid I wore my mane in. "I'm rather envious." She said after a moment of looking at me. Mana and I looked at her curiously. "Really, Mana dear, have you seen the intricacies of his braid? The way his tail is brushed?" The white unicorn continued. "Ah, but where are my manners?" She said with a cry of distress. "My name is Rarity, welcome to Carousel Boutique" She looked at them. "So, you need clothes?" She said, her eyes flashing at the idea of a fresh challenge. "Never fret, I'll have some for you in no time, now, come here." She ordered, pulling a tape measurer out of a nearby desk. The look in her eyes unnerved me, she reminded of a dominatrix who had just ordered her servant to bend over. I trotted up to her and she began to take my measurements, humming as she wrote the results on a clipboard, seeming to have no trouble multi-tasking. Mana was wandering around the store as I was molested by a tape measurer.

"Now." Rarity said smartly, snapping the tape measurer back into the desk. "What sorts of clothes were you hoping for?" She asked me. "Er…" I said, thinking hard at what I might need. "Three sets of casual wear…and one for special occasions?" I saw the disappointment in her eyes at the casual wear, but her eyes began to gleam at the prospect of an outfit for special occasions. "That won't be a problem." She said. "What would the cost be for four sets of clothing?" I asked, opening my saddlebag to get bits out. "No cost, actually." Rarity aid cheerfully. I stared at her, dumbstruck. "But…" I started. She cut me off, by getting real close to me and glaring into my soul with her blue eyes. "Did you know I once bucked a manticore and a hydra, and not in the nice way?" She asked, her voice dreadfully cheery, as if she'd love to buck me into next week…and not in the nice way. Regardless, I didn't flinch. "I said…" My voice matching hers. "I'd like to pay for my clothes." We matched stares for a while until Rarity finally sighed and grinned. "You're adorable when you're serious." She gave my cheek a smooch and stepped back. "The cost of the materials, time, plus the suits…" She said thoughtfully, her mind clearly crunching numbers. She named a figure and I was rather surprised at how low it seemed. "Surely that can't be right." I protested. "How could you afford all this?" Rarity smiled at me endearingly and twitched her flank. "What do you think these three little diamonds mean, hm?" She asked. "I'm really good at finding gems, and making them." By making gems, I knew she meant she treasured each dress and outfit she made, as if they really were precious gems. I smiled at her and nodded, then got out the correct bits. Thinking for a moment, I added a 10% tip to the pile. She arched an eyebrow at me. "Think of it as my way of saying thank you." I replied. Rarity put the bits away and looked at me. "Where should I deliver them?" She asked. "To the palace." I replied. From the way Rarity's face twitched, I knew I had bucked up, badly. "T-the p-pal-palace?" She stammered, going pale at the thought. "Wh-where…that…th-that…" She suddenly burst into tears and collapsed. I looked at Mana in shock and she moved to comfort the white unicorn fashionista. "There, there, don't cry, easy now" She crooned softly to the sobbing wreck that had recently been Rarity.

I stood there awkwardly , feeling horribly lost and confused. Soon, Rarity managed to wipe her tears and calm down. When she cantered back to me, I could see her eyes now held nothing but contempt and an underlying sense of rage, directed at me. "Very well." She said, her voice colder than the dark side of the moon. "You'll get your outfits, don't worry; you'll get some of my best work. I don't blame you for what that bitch did to my best friend, but know this…" She leaned in close to me, and I felt her magic pin me against the wall. "If you ever…_ever…_think to harm any of these ponies, if you become like her, I will not hesitate to kill you." I shuddered and nodded bleakly and she let me go and turned back to her store with a sad sigh. "I miss Ponyville" She said sadly and trotted out of view.


	9. Chapter 9: Lunch in the clouds

I could feel Mana gazing at me worriedly as we made our way back down the street. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked for what seemed to be the tenth time in half as many minutes. "Yes, I'm fine." I said gently. "She has every right to be upset at the queen for what happened to her friend, and since she can't very well attack the queen, she can focus her anger somewhere else." I sighed heavily and shook my head, flaring my wings and flapping them, as if to clear the dark aura that had seemed to see into our vicinity.

"Now then…I do believe I owe you lunch." I said cheerfully. Mana looked at me for a moment longer then nodded. "You can choose where we eat, I don't mind." I told her and she seemed a little surprised at my offer. "Well, there's this lovely new diner that just opened up, I heard they serve pegasi-made meals." She replied, breaking into a brisk trot as she took the lead. I followed her bemused through the streets until we came to a cozy little diner calling itself the Dash-n-Go. I felt a voice in my head, whom I affectionately called 'my little pony' snort at the slogan the diner boasted. "All your meals in ten minutes flat!"

When we walked in, my eyes were raped by rainbows and clouds. "Sweet mother of the sun, did I ingest a zebra potion by accident or something?" I asked, feeling my eyes begin to water from the sheer amount of color being poured into them. Beside me, Mana's voice was a little faint. "Well, it's certainly…catching." She said. A Pegasus flew up to us and eyed us. "Table for two?" He asked, then, not waiting for an answer, turned and flew off, calling over his shoulder. "This way." We followed him to a cozy corner booth and settled in and ordered drinks. "So, when did you arrive here?" Mana asked. I tilted my head and she arched an eyebrow. "A few days ago, actually. Wanted to speak to the queen." Mana looked at me as if I had sprouted a second head. "Why?" She asked. "I…honestly don't really remember." I replied, sipping my ginger ale with a contented sigh, the carroty aftertaste filling my mouth. "She's been known to kill ponies for lesser things than wasting her time." Mana said slowly, frowning at my poor memory, making me cringe and my inner pony snorted again. "Yet here you are, apparently all cozy with the queen."

"Wasn't really expecting that." I admitted with a swirl of the glass. "Don't really know why she wanted me under her wing." Mana seemed to wait for me to take a sip before innocently saying, "Are you sure it was just her wing she wanted you under?" I choked on my drink and my eyes watered. She bit back a laugh as I snorted the liquid out of my nose. My thoughts went back to this morning's…pleasant surprise. I squirmed slightly and cleared my throat. "I'm sure she's just curious about what she can learn from me about the southern kingdom." Mana eyed him as she sipped her drink. "Right…" She replied. "After you showed up, things changed in Canterlot. Crime's gone down and there's apparently a new enforcement force…" I snickered at her choice of words and she glared at me. "Peacemakers, or whatever." She grumbled. "I kinda gave her the idea…save her the trouble of having to always keep an eye on her own citizens when trustworthy ponies could do the job just as easily." I said as I finished my drink. Within seconds, a pegasi had swooped by, taken my empty glass and plopped down a new drink, along with our food. Mana happily buried her face in her salad while I chomped on some apple sandwiches. We ate our meals in relative silence and after paying the bill, we left.

"I need to get back to the palace." I said as we were walking once again. "Oh? Why?" Mana asked. "I usually sleep after lunch so I can help Nightmare Moon with her night work." Mana looked askance at me. "What sort of work?" She asked. "Can't really say." I replied carefully. Mana blinked. "Oh…alright then, have a good rest, maybe we'll bump into each other again." She said with a smile. I felt a smile on my own face and I nodded. "I'd like that." She waved as we separated and I made my way back towards the palace. Reaching the gates, I looked up at the grisly reminder. "I'm sorry…" I said quietly and went inside.

No sooner than I had stepped inside the palace I suddenly found myself enshrouded in a blue spell glow. I barely had time to let out a yelp as I suddenly found myself in Luna's chambers. I fell onto a plush cushion and she looked at me. "So, how did it go?" She asked. I groaned as I got to my hooves. "Couldn't you have let me walk?" I asked. "That teleportation spell startled me." Luna looked mildly surprised. "You knew it was a teleportation spell?" I nodded. "Seeing as how it took me from the palace doors straight here, what else could it have been?" I asked. "Read about it somewhere?" She asked, leaning towards me. "There was a library back where I came from where I loved to spend time reading to…" I looked away and sighed, shaking my head. "But they took that happiness away from me as well."

Luna gazed at me sympathetically and nuzzled me gently. "Things are different here" She replied soothingly. I laughed bitterly at that. "And who was it, that made me punish a Pegasus just for getting you wet?" I replied. I saw Luna stiffen and she scowled. I looked at her levelly and she looked away. I shook my head and got up. "Well, I'm going to go get some rest-ack!"

Once again, I was swept up in a shroud of blue magic. While under its influence, I felt an odd sensation from it. It almost seemed…sad. It felt like a warm embrace. I looked at Luna as she guided me to the bed and set me down on it, seeming to release me from her magic reluctantly. "Get some sleep." She murmured softly. "I'll wake you if I need anything."


	10. Chapter 10: Sick Green Glow

Once again, I was engulfed in fire. It danced around me, burning me, searing my lungs as I breathed it in. What had truly startled me and scared me, was that I had breathing it in on purpose. I had wanted to die here. Here, with her, the only one who could light up my face and bring a smile or a laugh from me. My beautiful, brave Starlight. Yet they had denied me even her. They had torn us apart, taken me from her side, where I had been working on cleaning the smoke from her lungs. She had breathed a lot in, having been trapped soon after the rain of flaming boulders had demolished parts of the town outside the southern kingdom's wall. Even as she had heard the whistling screams of the incoming boulders, she, being a Pegasus, could easily trace their path back through the air to their point of origin.

The rocks had been launched from the wall of the very kingdom that had been supposed to protect them. What crushed her even more was, when she took a closer look, after slowly flying up to the wall and hovering just out of sight, she saw not the fearsome Diamond Dogs or Dragons she had initially feared. This did nothing to calm her growing horror as she saw a brightly colored pony trot from behind the nearest catapult with her eyes and mouth both open in delight.

"Ohhh, did you see that? Did you hear that?" The orange mare had moaned, almost erotically. "The way those rocks whistled? The way they rolled over any pony too stupid enough to move?" She licked her lips, as if she could feel their blood on them and seemed to take all the more joy out of it. She turned her head to regard somepony not visible, then she looked up at me and her eyes went wide. "We missed one…silly Pegasus, you were supposed to be wiped out with the rest of the trash." She scolded, moving back to the catapult and started re-calibrating it. She seemed to pause and then I saw the arm move. It wasn't launching, they were shortening the angle of fire. I gazed at them then dared to turn my back to guess who or what they were aiming for. I felt my heart stop.

Starlight, my beautiful Starlight was wandering through the fire, her gaze lost and confused. Behind me, I heard the twang of the catapult releasing and I realized I had to move. Time seemed to slow; I could hear myself screaming. Screaming for her to run, to move, but she couldn't hear me. I was screaming because there was a giant flaming boulder behind me, close enough to set my tail on fire. I didn't give a crap about that, only one thing mattered. I reached her, I reached my beautiful Starlight. I remember pushing her out of the way, saw her shocked gaze when her eyes met mine. It broke my heart. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. All I could do was mouth, "Sorry" to her and then the boulder struck me.

I don't know how I survived that impact. That rock had to have been easily twice my size and infinitely heavier. I felt it slam me into the ground, felt it crush the life out of me. Or at least try. There was a small spark that refused to die. It had to know my sister was safe. We weren't related, I had found her abandoned in a box in the street years ago. Yet to me, she was my sister. I smiled, somehow and gazed up at the darkness that had crushed me. One second it was there, the next, all the noise and fire rushed back in as it was somehow lifted from me. I tried to look around, but my body refused to move. I heard voices, then the sound of a hoof striking another pony followed by a yelp. I felt a cold claw around my heart. I knew that pained yelp. I managed to lift my head and saw the most horrifying sight.

Six ponies, backlit by the fire, stood around my Starlight. Moreover, they were killing her. Slowly, they were grinding their hooves against her limbs, reducing them to bloody stumps. Her screams echoed across the distance between us. So close, yet so far. I felt red-hot tears of rage in my eyes, yet my vision remained clear as I burned those silhouettes into my mind. I would hunt them down, and I would destroy them.

"Still alive, are you? I'm rather impressed." A voice above me said. I remembered that voice, the one that seemed cheered by death and pain. "Wish we had a use for you, but they told me they needed one pony alive to spread the word of what they did here." A hoof poked me in the side and I let out a weak gasp. "Still, can't have you dying on us, so they told me to fix you up a little." I felt a light tingling warmth envelop me, one that I now knew was the feeling you got when a unicorn was holding you in their magic.

As I felt my body slowly mend, I heard the sound of multiple approaching hooves. Six faces peered down at me with glowing eyes. They were all a sickly green. The fringes of their manes, backlit by the flames, seemed to be a silvery green and it lit their necks, which were a dark shade of green, almost black. I noticed my sister had stopped screaming and I couldn't hear anything except for the snapping of the fire. Why wouldn't they let me die, let me breathe in the fire and smoke so I could be with her again? There was nothing in those greensickly eyes that regarded me as nothing more than a messenger.

"Spread the word of what happened here." Said one of them; I couldn't tell who, but the voice was low, yet femininely musical nonetheless. I would have found it rather pretty had they not just murdered my sister and an entire kingdom. All I could do was glare at them. "Your anger only makes us stronger, you know." Said another overly bubbly voice that sounded as if its owner loved nothing more than to jump around and be silly all day. I cleared my head and simply focused on them, engraving them in my mind as I let my hatred grow. The next words chilled me to the center of my being.

"You really helped us out when you killed all those ponies for us though, made it that much easier to take over, so thank you for that."

"Enough of this." Stated a voice and I was abruptly woken. I sat up, looking around wildly.

"No! They weren't done! THERE WAS MORE! I NEED TO KNOW!" I knew I was being stupid, overreacting, my body still running high on the adrenaline from the dream.

"You aren't nearly ready to face your nightmares. They will break you in more ways than one, and I don't want an insane ruler by my side making irrational judgments." _From what I had heard_, I was thinking to myself, _you weren't all that different when you started either_. I sighed and relaxed, looking up at the canopy of the bed and close my eyes, intending to take a short nap.

It wasn't until I opened my eyes that I realized I had probably slept far long than I had meant to. I turned my head to see Luna reading through some scrolls and books.

"Good evening." She said as she marked one of them for something or other. All I could do was grumble incoherently. She regarded me carefully and sighed, pulling me against her with a wing. She didn't say anything, for which I was very grateful and I closed my eyes, breathing slowly as I got my battered mind under control.

"There were six of them." I murmured quietly. "Six ponies who murdered the kingdom." Luna regarded me quietly and I sighed.

"That's more than I knew before." But why was I remembering it now? Probably because my mind had locked it off to keep me sane.

I breathed in Luna's warm scent and calmed down, letting all other thoughts wash away. I nuzzled her side lightly and she seemed to hum lightly at my touch.

"As much as I would like to help you relax, we've got some other things to do tonight." Luna said, reluctantly pulling away from me. I looked at her warily. "Not another lawbreaker?" I said carefully. She smiled grimly.

"Worse…you remember that earth pony you saw when you first got here?" I closed my eyes and tried not to throw up. "Well, he wasn't alone." I snapped my eyes open and looked at her.

"What?" I said, my voice a mixture of horror and rage.

"There were more, apparently an entire underground movement dedicated to the export and import of fillies for…less than noble uses." She said, watching me carefully. I ran over that in my mind, not feeling hot anger, but a cold calculating anger, looking over it from multiple angles, seeking answers. "Seems having those enforcement ponies was a good idea, I probably would have never known about it otherwise." She hesitated and I looked up to see her looking at me with worried eyes. "I…probably wouldn't have done anything to stop it either, if I had found out. I probably would have ended up finding a way to divert some of their profits for myself." Again, I didn't feel angry with her. Why? Was it because I had (very confused) feelings for her? I sighed, shaking my head and smiled at her.

"It's just how you would have run Canterlot." I said.

"Well, come on then, we've got a lot to do." She said, turning and leaving the chambers. I followed close behind and we made our way to the Great Hall for another round of justice.


	11. Chapter 11: The Others

We entered the Hall through the back and made our way up to the balcony that overlooked it. Reaching it, I looked over the gathered ponies. I idly wondered if Mana was here, yet doubted it, since she was merely a commoner. I frowned and shook my head. Pony, she was a pony. Putting ranks and filing ponies based on that was wrong. She had no involvements with this, as far as I knew. I gazed down at the ponies that had been brought in. The other members of this slave trade, apparently. A grim smile touched my lips.

"So, if they're guilty, what will we do?" I murmured to the mare at my side.

"Depends on how guilty we find them." She murmured back. "No doubt there are ranks in their group, so the lower you are, the less involved you were. I suspect some might even be upstanding citizens among them." She said with a darkly wry sense of humor. I nodded slowly and watched as it began. I tuned it out, only noting some of the more important details.

Among the ten that had been rounded up, seven were so low they didn't even know they were part of a slave trade market and were genuinely shocked at the news and had recoiled from the other three, who seemed to be much higher ranking. Between Luna and I, as well as the other facts that were unearthed when the market-(My mind darkly called it a 'mareket' and I wondered if they solely focused on younger colts and fillies)-had been disrupted. Of the remaining three, two were beyond redemption and my mind started conjuring up fitting punishments. Strange they were all earth ponies. Mostly bucks, with a few mares mixed in.

"Tell me…" I asked Luna as we thought of a death sentence for the two who deserved it. (The third was going to be jailed for a long time) "…does making them fight to the death seem harsh enough?" Luna eyed me and tilted her head.

"What about the winner?" She asked. I knew we wouldn't be able to let him go, he wouldn't change. I frowned.

"Alright…" I gazed down at them and another thought came to mind. "What if we put them mentally through what all of their victims had been through?" Luna's eyes lit up.

"Oh, I could do that." She purred. She turned back to the front and gazed down at the doomed ponies. "Guards, tie them up." They trussed the ponies up easily enough and vanished back into the shadows. The gathered ponies watched with interest.

"Now…" Luna's voice was a dangerous purr. These ponies knew her as Nightmare Moon and I had a feeling she was walking a line between the two, neither fully Luna or Nightmare Moon, slipping between the two when the need arose. "You've been horrid little ponies, and as such. I think we've come up with an appropriate punishment for you." She glanced at me and I nodded. Her horn glowed and the two bound ponies' eyes widened as she subjected their minds to the same things their victims went through. They didn't last five minutes.

"There are some things no pony should ever go through." Luna said, staring down at the dead ponies. One had bit his own tongue off to escape the madness and had choked on his own blood. The other had managed to strangle himself with his own rope, breaking his limbs in the process. I simply nodded as Luna dismissed the other ponies and I saw the maremaids move in to clean up the remains. I saw the feathered flank of one and paused.

"Do your maremaids have names?" I asked, turning to Luna. She looked at me, then down at the cleaning maids.

"I suspect so, but we rarely talk and I never bothered to learn them." She replied. "Why?"

"I thought it'd be a good idea to get to know them, see if they want anything, or if they have any ideas about what else they could do to help." I replied, watching them use magic to return the area below to pristine condition.

"Do whatever you want, I've got bills to organize and send out to those who work under me." She turned and left and I flew down to the busy maremaids, carefully setting down in a clean spot and tucked my wings back by my sides. The feather-flanked mare spotted me and trotted over.

"Hey there! Long time so see, are you enjoying yourself?" She asked. "Yeah, never better; listen, do you have a name? I've got some ideas that might let you and the others make some changes around here, make it a little better to live in." Which was true, since Luna seemed content with letting the castle do what it wanted, and that only made it harder for the maremaids to work since they were limited in what they could do, since she didn't want them wandering through the halls and disturbing her. Luna had changed, and I hoped she would be less strict.

"Well…" The mare said thoughtfully. "The way I see it, there's areas of the castle that we need to re-open and air out, clean out, if not completely remodel to fit with the changes Nightmare Moon wanted when she took over." I nodded.

"I'll l tell her." I said and the feather-flanked mare smiled.

"Amusingly enough, my name is Featherwing." She said. I arched an eyebrow. "I know I'm not a Pegasus." She said cheerfully. "But I use feather dusters with the best of them." She said with a shy smile. I nodded.

"I'll let Nightmare Moon know about your wishes and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." I said and she turned and resumed cleaning.

I nestled against Luna's side as she worked on yet more paperwork in her chambers.

"If I had known there was this much work involved with running a capital, I probably wouldn't have done what I did." She grumbled as she glared at the papers under her hooves. I looked up from a book I was poring over. Some sort of science fiction novel about a post-apocalyptic wasteland. I found it very interesting and had been pleased to see it spanned several novels.

"Why not get a secretary or two? Have them work on the everyday things like handling business management." She looked at me.

"Sounds like I'm letting another batch of ponies take over my job." She said.

"Well…as queen, they would again answer to you, and any pressing concerns, such as letting new businesses start and stopping old ones would still lie with your consent." I said. Luna sighed heavily.

"Ah, judge, jury, executioner and now landlord." She remarked as she took out a roll of parchment and started penning a request for a secretary that would undoubtedly be all over town by morning.

A stray thought crossed my mind, more of a memory and I caught it and examined it from every angle. "Actually…" I said, making Luna pause. "I think I know a pony who would love to help. She's also a very talented seamstress." Luna's eyebrows rose.

"You mean Rarity? Didn't you say she hated me for what I did to Twilight?" I nodded.

"She puts work before that and if you're worried about your safety or mine, you could always place a seal on her horn that wouldn't let her do anything harmful to you or me." Luna nodded and looked a little saddened.

"I regret killing Twilight, I really do, yet back then, I was completely Nightmare Moon." She looked at me oddly. "It wasn't until you came along that I changed." She smiled. "I think you have a very unique virtue." Now it was my turn to look baffled and she laughed, shaking her head. "If you don't see it, I don't see why I should ruin it for you." She teased. "I'm sure you'll figure it would eventually." She smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "I'd be more than happy to help you relax tonight." She murmured, stroking my flank with a hoof slowly, making my ears warm. I submitted to her hooves and she made me forget everything at that moment but her.


	12. Chapter 12: Broken

I woke up from a thankfully dreamless slumber, wrapped up in both the blankets and occupant of Luna's bed. I looked down at the black and blue mare who nestled so comfortably against me and was rather touched at the trust and faith she placed in me. I frowned as that thought crossed my mind. With a twist of my hooves, I could take over Equestria.

I recoiled in horror from that thought and shivered. I knew I had darkness in my heart; I had used that same darkness to free my sister only to watch her be killed anyway. What if I hadn't saved her? What if I had turned my back on the kingdom and left?

"Midnight?" called a voice, pulling me from my thoughts and I shook my head and looked down at Luna who was looking up at me, her slitted blue eyes warm with some emotion that I couldn't place.

"Good morning" I murmured softly, nuzzling her gently as I stretched my wings. "Sleep well?" I felt her nuzzle under my chin and I hummed softly.

"As well as I could." She replied, getting up and trotting over to the bathroom to freshen up. Without a word, she snagged me with her magic and dragged me into the shower with her for a very steamy clean up.

Once we had finished and made ourselves presentable, we walked out of the castle and went down into Canterlot. Part of me was worried about her safety, but she ignored my concerns.

"So, I'm going to talk with Rarity about getting her hired as my secretary, why don't you go find your other little mare friend and take her out for the day?" Luna murmured to me as we made our way through the streets.

"Alright, you sure you'll be fine?" I asked. She sighed and lightly thumped my head with a hoof.

"Hello, all-powerful immortal Alicorn princess of Equestria?" She reminded me dryly. "You should be more worried about yourself; you're…well…just a normal Pegasus." Luna said as I felt my ears burn.

"Alright." I said, nuzzling her as we parted ways. "I'll see you later then."

I found Mana in one of the cafes that catered to more morning-esque meals and she was sipping dreamily on a mixture of chocolate and coffee with satisfaction. I sat down across from her and simply waited, since she was apparently lost in her own little world.

"Hello? Equestria to Mana?" I waved my hoof in front of her face and she blinked in startled surprise and let out a squeak.

"Wha-who-Midnight?" She asked, juggling her drink in her hooves before gripping it with her magic and steadying it. "When did you get here?"

"Just a moment ago." I said with some amusement as I waved a waiter over. Once he had arrived I ordered some cocoa for myself and a refill for Mana who looked pleased. "Nightmare Moon is looking to hire Rarity on as a secretary, so she's let me off for the day."

"Rarity? But…" Mana began. I cut her off and told her the reasons and, she, while still harboring some reservations, seemed to accept them. "I see." Mana said, lightly clapping her forehooves together, looking thoughtful. Our drinks arrived and we drank them with gusto.

"Haaaaa-hothohot" I panted as the cocoa burned my tongue and throat. Eyes watering, I shook my head, tongue hanging out as I tried to cool my mouth. Mana snorted into her drink which caused it to foam up and explode over her face. I looked at her for a stunned moment then burst into laughter.

"Not funny" She grumbled as she dried herself with a napkin. I didn't say anything and simply enjoyed the rest of my cocoa. Once we finished, I paid for our drinks, much to Mana's ire and we left to wander around town.

"What do you do for a living?" I asked her as we window-shopped. Mana's eyes lit up with glee and I had a feeling I made a huge mistake.

"I design pony dolls and figurines." She began. "Ponies who want to see a design for a pony, sometimes based on other ponies." She looked thoughtfully at the castle. "A lot of bucks pay for custom models of the Princesses for less than noble reasons, I suspect." I blinked as an image of a buck clopping to a tiny figure of a pony drifted across my mind and I arched an eyebrow.

"Well, some ponies will never see the princess face-to-face, so I guess it's some kind of release for them." I was hitting myself mentally for the poor choice of words and I had a feeling Mana knew what was on my mind.

"Oh, no doubt." She said with a teasing tone in her voice. "I'll freely admit I've…thought…about meeting with Princess Celestia someday. A lot of ponies still worship her secretly and the loss of the sun seems to have only made them all the more devoted to her."

A tingle of apprehension wormed its way down my spine and I looked at her with more than a little worry. Those words seemed more than a little prophetic and I idly wondered if Princess Celestia was even still alive.

"I think they could easily have both ruled in harmony without any trouble." I said quietly and I sensed Mana's eyes turn on me. "No doubt Twilight Sparkle had hoped to use the Elements of Harmony to purge the darkness from Luna like she had done once before." I had taken some spare time of my own to read some of Equestria's history, even finding a veritable treasure trove of scrolls from Twilight Sparkle to Princess Celestia chronicling her rather bizarre life in a small town called Ponyville.

"You need all six of the bearers for them to work though." Mana said, eyeing a rather stunning scarf of varying shades of blue and purple before moving on. "That's why Nightmare Moon killed Twilight Sparkle. Without the Element of Magic, the others are useless." I took her word for it. The sheer amount of information about the six ponies who used the Elements staggered me. Unbidden, the six silhouettes of the ponies from my dream leapt unbidden to my mind. I could see their forms easily.

"Mana, I don't suppose you know where the other Element ponies are?" I asked, trying to get my thoughts in order. I don't know why my mind was connecting the six Elements of Harmony to the six ponies from my dream. They didn't match up. I knew the Elements couldn't be used by wicked ponies for evil acts. Some kind of clue, then? I shook my head lightly and Mana spoke up.

"As far as I know, they're all alive, apart from Twilight. Rarity, you've obviously already met, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack still live in Ponyville, From what I hear, Rainbow Dash moved to Canterlot and started…a…diner" She facehoofed and looked at me sheepishly. "Remember that Dash-n-Go Diner?" She asked.

"Yeah…oh." I said, my eyes widening. "That was hers? Why didn't we see her there?"

"She was taking a few days off, since she got her wings clipped." Mana said softly and I felt my heart go cold.

"She was supposed to go into enforcement though." I said. Mana smiled.

"She runs the Diner as a place for them to rest between shifts." I nodded and we made the detour to the diner and entered it.

"Welcome to the Dash-n-Go…_you_!" A voice started, then cut off in a growl of rage. Next thing I knew, I had been tackled by a rainbow blur and we rolled out into the street. I was too shocked to do anything and I heard whatever was on me snarling.

"After what you pulled, how dare you think you can waltz into my diner. You're lucky I didn't get my hooves on you last time!" A swift hammering blow followed each word and my head swam dizzily. I still couldn't get past the surprise and malice behind the attack. I heard Mana scream and I felt a rib break under the blue mare's pounding hooves.

Something in my mind snapped and I managed to ram all of my hooves into the blue mare's underside, knocking her off me. She had a well-toned athletic build and I wasn't surprised to see her back on her hooves in a flash. With a scream of rage, she launched at me, her useless wings flared.

Inches from me, she froze and I saw a familiar blue glow around her. I turned to see two mares walk into view. Two I recognized.

"What's going on here?" Nightmare Moon's voice was flat, cold and I felt an odd sense of loss behind them. This was fully Nightmare Moon, Luna buried deep. It was her eyes that really caught my attention though. They were colder than I had ever seen and I felt a wave of terror wash over me. It was all I could do to not pass out and I heard Mana whimper and collapse under the wave of malice that flowed from Nightmare Moon.

"No…" I tried to say, but my broken rib only made it come out as an agonizing hiss.

"First, you make my day unpleasant, I spare you, I let you live with your wings. I even gave you responsibilities you could enjoy. Yet here you are, killing your prince who spared you?" With each word, I saw her magic tighten around the rainbow-maned mare. "It seems you didn't learn your lesson the first time." I saw the magic flare and heard Rainbow Dash scream.

"Stop it!" I howled, fighting past the pain as I surged to my hooves. I fought off the dizziness and looked at Nightmare Moon. "Enough…please, I deserved what she did to me, she had every right for it." I said, my voice shaking. Nightmare Moon shook her head, her eyes locked on the sky-blue mare she held.

"As you said, I have the right to do what I see fit with repeat offenders." She stated, as her magic started to forcibly tear the wings off the Pegasus. I felt my mouth go dry as my own wings rembled. I looked up into Rainbow Dash's dark pink eyes with my own and I saw her go limp. She smiled sadly at me and I felt like my heart was being ripped in two.

It was over in an instant. One second Rainbow Dash had wings, the next, they had been ripped from her body. Nightmare Moon dropped the bloody Pegasus and turned to leave. She teleported, leaving behind a scorched smell and silence fell over the street. I got up and limped over to the pile of limp rainbows and looked down at the mare.

"The Element of Loyalty." A voice said in my ear and I jumped in surprise, hissing as my broken rib protested at the movement. I turned my head and felt my eyes widen. A horribly familiar purple Alicorn stood beside me, her eyes on Rainbow Dash. A dark magenta hue surrounded her horn and Rainbow Dash's body was enveloped in the same hue. I watched in silence as the horrific wounds healed, and then felt my jaw drop as new wings formed, replacing the ones that she had lost.

"This is the only thing I can do right now," Twilight Sparkle said, turning to me. Her eyes bored into mine. "Don't worry, you're not going mad. I know you have questions and I have your answers, but I can't tell you right now." Her eyes glowed and I felt my own hurts heal and I collapsed in a wreck as my world went black.

I woke up back in Nightmare Moon's chambers. I didn't know how I had gotten there, nor did I care. All I knew was that I needed to have a talk with a certain black Alicorn mare as soon as possible.


	13. Apologies!

"You, yes, you, the one looking at your computer, tablet or smart phone screen, reading these words. Hi there! Worry to disappoint you, but Vinyl's given up on "Shattered Mirror" because he's drowning in other fanfics that are much better written and made him realize he's better off with short stories." Midnight grinned as he looked up at the faces above him.

"Doesn't mean that's the end of my story or Starlights, maybe we'll pop up in a short story or two." He said cheerfully as the sounds of another pony typing away on a computer floated to his ears. A pony that was the spitting image of Midnight popped into view, scanning the room.

"Oi, Midnight, you're not afraid of being a mare, right?" Midnight looked stunned for a moment.

"Whoa, wait, what?" He said, getting to his hooves. "What the hell do you mean by that?" The doppelgänger grinned and disappeared back into his room. Midnight rolled his eyes. "Anywho, as I was saying, "Shattered Mirror" is on indefinite hiatus for the foreseeable future. Hell, if you want to take it and fix it into your own story, feel free to do so. BUT, there are a few things you can NOT take from it. Midnight Runner, Starlight and Mana are all owned by people already, and I doubt their creators would be happy if you used them without permission. So as long as you exclude those three ponies, you can do whatever you want with the clusterbuck of chapters." Midnight tapped a hoof on his chin thoughtfully. "And "Shattered Mirror" is also taken, so you'll have to rename the story after you fix it." He grinned and waved a hoof. "Arrieverderci or whatever."


End file.
